Mixin’ It Up: Friendly Greg

Time for a new Mixin’ It Up! This time we have fellow grindin member Greg Dona who runs the excellent blog Panda Toes. He has also made a name for himself as a dj and has also been throwing parties in Dartmouth College were he brought in folks like Jubilee, DStar, Villains, Dani Deahl, Yes Giantess, Fashen, etc. But now he is all yours with this weeks Mixin’ It Up.

“Belly Dance” is the first Round Table Knights song I ever fell in love with. However, it was the Mowgli remix of the aforementioned song that really blew me away. The percussion is wildly energizing despite being relatively simple and soft, which has made this one of my most used tracks during opening sets.

2. Camel – “Zig Zag”

“Zig Zag” is another sneaky track that gets people dancing frantically even though the song itself is pretty tame. It may be be the repetitive vocals. Perhaps it’s the uniqueness of the instrumental. I honestly have no idea what makes this tune so effective. What I do know is that this is yet another one of my favorite opening tracks.

3. Round Table Knights – “Calypso”

And here I return to Round Table Knights. Though “Belly Dance” was my first love, “Calypso” is my one true love. It amazes me how a track that’s seemingly so simple simultaneously has so much going on. Everything from the claps to the chants of “woo” plays a necessary part in making this is a seriously fun track.

4. French Fries – “Predador (Original Mix)”

Next up is an original from one of my favorite producers in the game: French Fries. Though it’s generally his percussion that kills me, the horns on this cut are what really get me going.

5. French Fries – “Senta (Original Mix)”

Though it may be a bad habit, I pretty consistently mix French Fries tracks back-to-back. The dude’s killing it right now, and one song simply isn’t enough. Here’s it’s the vocals that really move things along.

6. Dooze Jackers – “Got Line!”

“Got Line!” steps up the energy level with its high-pitched instrumental, shouted vocals, and considerable builds and drops. The name Dooze Jackers may baffle me to no end, but there’s nothing even remotely unclear about how much I love this track.

7. Zombies for Money – “Numbra One”

“Numbra One” is almost too obvious here, but that’s fine by me. Little changes musically when transitioning from “Got Line!” to “Numbra One” – the songs have a similar sound and energy level – yet the transition is indescribably invigorating.

8. Silvio Ecomo and Chuckie – “Moombah (Afrojack Remix)”

The Afrojack remix of “Moombah” may be another obvious choice, but once again I simply don’t care. This song knocks – don’t try to tell me otherwise. The cries of “turn up the bass” make crowds go crazy – just ask Dave Nada.

9. Afrojack – “Bangduck (Original Mix)”

A grip of people hate on “Bangduck” for being a “Bangkok” ripoff. Yes, “Bangkok” came first. And yes, they’re incredibly similar. Still, the borderline cheesy introductory moments of “Bangduck” rile me up in the best of ways. “Bangkok” is fabulous, but “Bangduck” is my go-to.

10. DJ Bam Bam and Mr. Robotic – “Watch the Club Go”

“Watch the Club Go” is a track I’ve had success sneaking into sets for Top 40-lovers. Most people act like sheep on the dance floor – one person hears the vocalist shout “let’s go,” gets pumped, and the rest of the room follows suit.

11. DJ Jean – “New Dutch Shuffle”

It took me quite some time to believe that the DJ Jean that produced “New Dutch Shuffle” was in fact the same DJ Jean that’s responsible for “The Launch.” But honestly, it makes sense – “The Launch” was a super influential song and “New Dutch Shuffle” is a surefire hit at almost any club.

12. DirtyBeats – “Alone in the Jungle (Tom Piper Remix)”

Words can describe neither why nor how much I love this song. If music could have A.D.H.D. it would sound like this. Which, of course, is a good thing.

13. NT89 – “Pumpin (Feat. Distrakt) (Beataucue Remix)”

My friend once described Beataucue’s tracks as “music that only sounds good when you’re wasted at three in the morning.” I, on the other hand, listen to Beataucue when I study in the library. This may or may not be part of the reason that I’ll go deaf before I hit my midlife crisis.

14. U-Tern “Style, Class, Flair”

The mix takes a huge turn here by moving from the fast, loud Beataucue to the silky smooth U-Tern. I respect the gent’s taste more than you’d ever believe, and his production is on point as well. U-Tern’s latest track is an absolute standout, and there was no way I was gonna leave it out of this mix.

15. Justin Faust – “Holdin’ On”

It all comes to a close with what’s quite possibly my favorite tune of the moment: “Holdin’ On.” I rarely DJ parties frequented by the type of folks that go out looking to hear a Justin Faust track, so I play a few hours of whatever it is they want to hear, then wrap things up with this poppy disco house gem. By that time they’re too drunk to complain that I’m not playing LMFAO or Drake. They can thank me later.